Classifications

• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F16—ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVE FUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL
  • F16K—VALVES; TAPS; COCKS; ACTUATING-FLOATS; DEVICES FOR VENTING OR AERATING
  • F16K1/00—Lift valves or globe valves, i.e. cut-off apparatus with closure members having at least a component of their opening and closing motion perpendicular to the closing faces
  • F16K1/14—Lift valves or globe valves, i.e. cut-off apparatus with closure members having at least a component of their opening and closing motion perpendicular to the closing faces with ball-shaped valve member
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F16—ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVE FUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL
  • F16K—VALVES; TAPS; COCKS; ACTUATING-FLOATS; DEVICES FOR VENTING OR AERATING
  • F16K15/00—Check valves
  • F16K15/18—Check valves with actuating mechanism; Combined check valves and actuated valves
  • F16K15/182—Check valves with actuating mechanism; Combined check valves and actuated valves with actuating mechanism
  • F16K15/1823—Check valves with actuating mechanism; Combined check valves and actuated valves with actuating mechanism for ball check valves
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F16—ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVE FUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL
  • F16K—VALVES; TAPS; COCKS; ACTUATING-FLOATS; DEVICES FOR VENTING OR AERATING
  • F16K31/00—Actuating devices; Operating means; Releasing devices
  • F16K31/44—Mechanical actuating means
  • F16K31/50—Mechanical actuating means with screw-spindle or internally threaded actuating means
• • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
  • Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
  • Y10T—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION
  • Y10T137/00—Fluid handling
  • Y10T137/7287—Liquid level responsive or maintaining systems
  • Y10T137/7358—By float controlled valve
  • Y10T137/7361—Valve opened by external means, closing or closing control by float
• • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
  • Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
  • Y10T—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION
  • Y10T137/00—Fluid handling
  • Y10T137/9464—Faucets and spouts

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a domestic water tap It is particularly envisaged for use as a garden water tap, or a tap mounted on an exterior wall of a building. It will be understood that used in this specification the term 'tap' takes on its British meaning, being equivalent to the American term 'faucet'. BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION
• a garden tap which can be readily operated by the aged or infirm without the need for additional mechanical assistance.
• Such a tap should readily close, without a propensity for leakage. It should also be arranged such that the degree of opening can be easily adjusted, in order to vary the flow rate of water passing through the tap.
• the present invention seeks to meet these desiderata.
• a water tap for use in regulating the flow of water delivered under pressure, the tap including a valve seat, a sealing member, and an activating rod, whereby the tap is movable between a closed position in which the water pressure urges the sealing member into engagement with the valve seat, thus preventing the flow of water through the tap, and an open position in which the activating rod urges the sealing member away from the valve seat, thus allowing flow of water through the tap, characterised in that the sealing member has a density less than water, and in that the activating rod is arranged to act through a centroid of the sealing member and to urge the sealing member into a position substantially centrally of the resulting water flow.
• this arrangement permits the sealing member to maintain a position centrally of the water flow due to an application of Bernoulli's principle.
• the degree of displacement of the sealing member from the valve seat can be readily controlled, thus allowing for easy adjustment of the rate of water flow.
• the sealing member be spherical. This means that the orientation of the sealing member can vary without affecting its ability to readily seal.
• the activating rod is connected to a handle, mounted in a threaded arrangement at an outer end of the tap, whereby rotation of the handle causes axial movement of the activating rod.
• the sealing member may be located within a receiving compartment of the tap, the receiving compartment having a water inlet axially opposed to the valve seat, the water inlet being sized so as to prevent the passage of the sealing member in the event of a loss of water pressure.
• Figure 1 is a cross-sectional schematic view of a water tap in accordance with the present invention, shown in a closed position;
• Figure 2 is a cross-sectional schematic view of the tap of Figure 1 , shown in an open position. DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
• the water tap 10 includes a water inlet 12 arranged to be fluidly connected to a water main (not shown), and a water outlet 14.
• the water outlet 14 is shown as a
• the water inlet 12 and the water outlet are oriented perpendicularly to each other. Water passing through the tap 12 thus enters in a first water flow direction, aligned with the water inlet 12, and exits in a second water flow direction, aligned with the water outlet 14.
• the tap 10 includes a receiving compartment 18 and an elbow portion 20, the arrangement being such that water flows in turn through the water inlet 12, the receiving compartment 18, the elbow portion 20 and the water outlet 14. Each of the water inlet 12, the receiving compartment 18 and the elbow portion 20 are located along the central tap axis 16.
• the receiving compartment 18 is formed by a first frusto-conical portion 22, a central cylindrical region 24, and a second frusto-conical portion 26, each of which has its axis along the central tap axis 16.
• the arrangement is such that the radius of the central cylindrical region 24 is equal to the base radius of the first and second frusto-conical portions 22, 26.
• the first frusto-concial portion 22 tapers away from the central cylindrical region 24 to a first circular aperture 28.
• the second frusto-conical portion 26 tapers away from the central cylindrical region 24 towards a second circular aperture 30.
• a sealing member in the form of a spherical ball 32 is located within the receiving compartment 18.
• the spherical ball 32 has a radius greater than that of the first and second circular apertures 28, 30, but less than that of the central cylindrical region 24.
• the ball 32 is thus contained within the receiving compartment 18.
• the tap 10 includes an activation means in the form of a handle 34.
• the handle 34 is located along the central tap axis 16, at an end remote from the water inlet 12. This is in contrast to a traditional compression-type garden tap, where the handle is located above the water outer outlet 14.
• the handle 34 is connected into a body of the tap 10 by means of a threaded connection (not directly shown), such that revolution of the handle 34 is translated into axial movement along the central tap axis 16.
• An activating rod 36 extends from a base of the handle 34 through the elbow potion 20, along the central tap axis 16.
• the handle 34 When the tap 10 is to be opened, the handle 34 is turned, causing the activating rod 36 to move towards the ball 32.
• the activating rod 36 contacts the ball 32 along the central tap axis 16 (thus in a radial direction, through the ball's centroid). Further turning of the handle 34 forces the ball 32 towards the first circular aperture 28, and releases the contact of the ball on the second frusto- conical portion 26.
• the ball 32 be formed from a material less dense than water. This will ensure that water pressure acts on the ball 32 to its fullest extent, both in sealing in the closed position and in maintaining lateral orientation in the open position. It will be understood that one way in which the arrangement of the embodiment shown differs from a conventional compression-type tap is that the valve seat is located in the first water flow path, rather than the second. For this reason, the simplest arrangement is to have the handle 34 located along the main tap axis 16. It will be appreciated that the invention could be applied with a different geometry, such as a handle located above the water outlet 14 or even the valve seat within the second water flow path. Such variations are considered to be within the scope of the present invention.

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Taps Or Cocks (AREA)
• Lift Valve (AREA)
• Float Valves (AREA)
• Check Valves (AREA)
• Self-Closing Valves And Venting Or Aerating Valves (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (2)

Family

ID=43010700

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (6)

Families Citing this family (9)

Citations (6)

Family Cites Families (7)

• 2009
  • 2009-04-21 AU AU2009201565A patent/AU2009201565B2/en active Active
  • 2009-08-28 CA CA2759415A patent/CA2759415C/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2009-08-28 EP EP09843488.9A patent/EP2422116A4/de not_active Withdrawn
  • 2009-08-28 CN CN200980158898.2A patent/CN102428302B/zh not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2009-08-28 MY MYPI2011005068A patent/MY153755A/en unknown
  • 2009-08-28 WO PCT/AU2009/001106 patent/WO2010121286A1/en active Application Filing

Patent Citations (6)

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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